COUNCIL taxpayers owe Stratford District Council (SDC) nearly £2million – and could be facing court action if they don’t pay up.
Out of some £75million SDC collect in council tax each year, residents still owe at least £1.7 million.
Those who fail to pay on time receive reminders and final notices and if they continue to ignore the letters they will be summoned to court to recover the debt.
A district council spokeswoman said: “If required the council will send cases to an enforcement agent for collection and in some cases the council may be forced to take bankruptcy action or issue a charging order against the property.”
And residents are equally concerned about their debts – as around 100 people in the district called debt charity National Debtline last year.
The charity offers advice to residents about how to resolve their financial difficulties.
National Debtline chief executive Joanna Elson said: “We are seeing more and more people seek help with council tax arrears, but the fact Stratford residents owe so much makes us concerned that many more people in the area are struggling alone.
“We would like to see local authorities do everything they can to help residents who are falling behind to seek the free advice that can turn their lives around. The earlier a problem is caught, the better the outcome.”
Visit www.nationaldebtline.org or call on 0808 808 4000 for further details.
